This was a long and tiring war between the English and the French, lasting over one hundred years. Constant war and battles kept various rulers ready throughout the course of this war. This war lasted from 1337 to 1453, causing great anguish and great losses for both parties in this war.
The English king controlled southern France, which didn't please the French king very well. Henry II got control of these with marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, heiress to the region. The French feared an English attack from the south. The French then created an alliance with an arrangement that lasted into the 18th century. Both countries wished to control the North Sea and the English Channel by commissioning pirates to prey upon opposing ships. The final son of King Philip IV died in 1328. This caused the direct male line of the Capetians family to end after almost 350 years.
English: King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt, ...
Fifteenth-century miniature depicting the English ...
English: panorama of the battlefield of AgincourtIsabelle, Philip's daughter, married King Edward II of England. They had a son, Edward III, who would be the successor to the throne through Philip's daughter. The French didn't like this idea and brought about old Francish laws, which they called the Salic Law. This stated that the throne could not descend through a female. Philip of Valois, nephew to Philip IV, was given the throne. Edward III had a valid claim to the throne and wanted to pursue it, which was another event to help start this devastating war.
Flanders is a place that grown to become an industrial center in northern Europe and eventually became wealthy through its cloth manufacture. Though, it couldn't produce enough wool to satisfy the market and imported fleece from England. The upper class enjoyed wine much during this time and the English could not grow grapes, which made a triangular trade...